The Book

The book is coming soon! When it is available, you will be able to order it here.
In the meantime, here is the Introduction.

Yoga for Horses

The Essentials of the Responsive Horse

Introduction

The smooth, silken feel of riding a supple, balanced, responsive horse is unmistakable. Once you’ve experienced it, you want it all the time. Many riders have had glimpses of it, but they’re not sure how they got it, or what to do to get it again. If you haven’t experienced it, you may not know what you’re missing, but you might have some inkling that there is a level of riding that you haven’t quite attained…

The horse world today is abundant with sources of information – traveling clinicians, local instructors, books, videos, magazines and Internet sites – all offering methods and (sometimes expensive!) equipment to help you achieve that elusive silken ride. The problem is that they seem to largely disagree! The Natural Horsemanship trainer, the dressage trainer, the jumper trainer…each has his own system and vocabulary, and there appear to be few similarities. As I teach, train and talk to people, I see that many riders, even some teachers and trainers, are confused by all the conflicting systems, schools and disciplines, and end up arguing about what’s right and what’s wrong. Often riders don’t understand correct basics and correct movement; they don’t see how all these differing methods relate to one another; and most of us overlook the indispensable role that relaxation plays in everything we do with our horses. The purpose of this book is to present the principles that underlie all good horsemanship; to explain basic, correct responsiveness; and to offer riders information and exercises that help them work their horses with a clearer understanding of what is really important, no matter what the discipline or system, so that they can achieve that silken ride, and know exactly how they did it.

      This book is divided into three parts. Part I presents basic theoretical and practical knowledge that pertains to all horses and all systems of riding. Anyone who works with horses should understand these principles. In Part II the book offers useful information on choosing a horse, keeping a horse and working with horses. Part III describes and illustrates a program of stretches and unmounted exercises that teach both horse and handler about correct muscular coordination for the horse, and show the handler how his aids request this correct response.  I call this program “Yoga for Horses.” Why yoga for horses? In the world of humans, yoga is an ancient discipline that emphasizes relaxation and correct form. You relax mentally and physically and then you learn to position your body correctly for an exercise, using only the proper muscles and releasing the others. Your body learns to move fluidly and with ease. Relaxation, correct positioning and correct muscle use - these same principles apply to horses, and this is the secret of the smooth, silken movement – yoga for horses.

      Yoga for Horses is not a new system of training or a new school of horsemanship. Most of the ideas and exercises presented here have been around for a long time, some of them for centuries, practiced in various disciplines in different times and places. But I’ve put them together with a fresh perspective, presenting them in a sequence that systematically develops both a theoretical and a practical understanding of the responsiveness that forms the foundation of all good horsemanship. Each step is explained in careful detail.  The program can be used with any horse and any style of riding, and it integrates with any other program. The basic biomechanics of correct movement are the same for every horse. The various disciplines may seem quite different, and the goals are different. But correct movement – the correct coordination of the horse’s muscle groups and the fundamental balance necessary for the horse to move correctly and perform athletically, and to stay sound – is the same for all. The Yoga for Horses program shows both horses and riders what that coordination is and how to achieve it. This book is the first in a series of three books on the program. The next two books take the understanding and the exercises from this book and show riders how to apply them in mounted work, and teach mounted exercises that build on the correct basics established in the ground exercises of this book.

The program assumes that the horse and rider are suited to one another. There are some horses that inexperienced riders should never own. These are horses that have dangerous vices (bad habits); horses that are too “hot” for the rider’s sensitivity or skill level; and young, green horses. Dangerous vices include rearing, bucking, biting, kicking and striking. Horses with these vices can seriously hurt you, and only experienced riders should take them on. “Hot” horses are horses that are highly sensitive and acutely responsive. Commonly, these horses have a lot of Thoroughbred or Arabian blood, though there are also “hot” horses in other breeds. “Hot” horses tend to be tense and nervous, flighty, spooky and difficult to control, and are likely to fling their heads up and run away at the slightest provocation. Frequently they have been mishandled somewhere in the past. These horses, too, are not safe for inexperienced riders. Young, green horses, that is, horses less than five years old and/or horses with less than a year’s daily riding, should also only be ridden and trained by experienced riders (and this program is not intended for these horses). Horses are fully mature at age seven, and tend to be unpredictable until then. For the most part, inexperienced riders should choose horses that are over seven.

      I recommend that you read all of Parts I and II before you start the program with your horse. Then introduce the exercises from Part III to your horse in the order presented, as a step-by-step program, with each step building on the previous one. However, any of the stretches or yields can be used without the rest of the program to help with a particular area of difficulty. This is especially true of head lowering, the lynchpin exercise of the program. The program is not intended to replace your regular riding routine, but rather to complement it, like a person, whether an athlete or not, taking a yoga class or going to the gym to work out.

 It is best to do this program as part of your warm-up before riding. Do fifteen to thirty minutes a day, only progressing to the next exercise when you are fairly competent in the one(s) before it. It will help to make your horse more supple and responsive, and more athletic. It will help you develop a practical understanding of how horses use their muscles when working correctly. It will improve your relationship with your horse.

This book is intended for every rider. It is written on many levels, so that riders can come back to it again and again and find something new each time. Some of the information is very basic, and some of it is a springboard for a lifetime’s work. If you are a complete beginner just starting to ride, you will find the information in chapters one to four very helpful in learning to relate to horses. The Self-Check List in Chapter 8 will give you tools to practice in your day-to-day life that will improve your position on the horse, and help you progress more quickly. If you are an intermediate rider preparing to buy your first horse, chapters six and seven will be especially helpful. Intermediate and advanced riders who already own horses, in any discipline, will find information and exercises in the whole book that help to fill those “holes in the basics,” so that you can experience that magical silken ride. Even teachers, trainers and riders who understand correct work, whose horses are working well, will find some useful, and maybe even new, ideas here – the discussion of principles, goals and techniques in Chapter 3; the hip stretch exercise (that horses love) or the forehand shift exercise in Chapter 12; the yoga lunging or the careful details of the in-hand yoga shoulder-in. Horsemanship is a life-long learning process for all of us. We learn from our horses and from each other. I hope that this program will be part of that process for you!